Research shows dogs have emotions – just like humans

Dog-owners are sometimes ridiculed for treating their pets like members of the family.

But new research from the US has shown that dogs have feelings just like us.

Gregory Berns, a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, says the region of the brain that controls the anticipation of pleasure is similar in humans and our canine companions.

He found the animals’ brains distinguished between the smells of familiar and unfamiliar dogs and humans – a phenomenon known as functional homology, a potential indicator of canine emotions.

The ability to experience positive emotions, such as love and attachment, would mean dogs have a level of sentience ‘comparable to that of a human child’ – demanding a rethink of how we treat them, claims Professor Berns.

‘Do these findings prove that dogs love us? Not quite,’ he said. ‘But many of the same things that activate the human caudate, which are associated with positive emotions, also activate the dog caudate.’

Hunger pangs: The brains of the dogs in the experiment responded to hand gestures signalling food (Picture: Reuters)

Professor Berns and his colleagues used MRI scanners to track brain activity in dogs.

They found activity in the caudate nucleus – an area of the brain that is rich in dopamine receptors and plays a role in the anticipation of enjoyable things such as love, food and money – increased in response to hand signals indicating food.

The caudate also activated when exposed to the smells of familiar humans, as well as to the return of an owner who momentarily stepped out of view.

Although it is often difficult to pin an emotion to a specific area of the brain because of its complexity, the caudate could be an exception, according to the lead researcher.

‘Specific parts of the caudate stand out for their consistent activation to many things that humans enjoy,’ he said. ‘Caudate activation is so consistent that under the right circumstances, it can predict our preferences for food, music and even beauty.’

Under the thumb: Berns says his findings demand us to rethink our view of dogs as property (Picture: Getty)

And the findings mean we should rethink our view of dogs as ‘things’, he claims.

‘Dogs, and probably many other animals, seem to have emotions just like us. And this means we must reconsider their treatment as property,’ he said.